The 1988 All-American Bowl was a post-season American college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 bowl game

Bowl game

In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

 at Legion Field

Legion Field

Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak...

 in Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

, Alabama between the and the University of Florida Gators on December 29, 1988. The game was the final contest of the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season

1988 NCAA Division I-A football season

The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34-21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona....

 for both teams, and ended in a 14–10 victory for Florida.

Game summary

Head Coach John Mackovic led Illinois to a surprising 6-4-1 record and a third-place finish in the Big Ten, earning a berth opposite traditional SEC powerhouse Florida in the All-American Bowl. On the first play from scrimmage, Florida freshman sensation Emmitt Smith scampered 55 yards for a touchdown. Illinois tied the score on a 30-yard run by Keith Jones in the second quarter. After a fourth-quarter Doug Higgins field goal gave Illinois a three-point lead, Smith scored his second touchdown with less than four minutes remaining to give the Gators the victory.

Scoring summary

Quarter	|Team	|Scoring summary	|Score
	Illinois	Florida
1	Florida	Emmitt Smith Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for... 55-yard touchdown run, John Francis kick good	0	7
2	Illinois	Keith Jones 30-yard touchdown run, Doug Higgins kick good	7	7
3			7	7
4	Illinois	Doug Higgins 44-yard field goal	10	7
	Florida	Emmitt Smith 2-yard touchdown run, John Francis kick good	10	14
			10	14

Statistical summary

Team Statistics

(Rushing-Passing-Total): UI - 55-194-249; UF - 187-69-256.

Individual Statistical Leaders

Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TD): UI - Jones 18-88-1; UF - Smith 28-159-2.

Passing (Att.-Comp.-Int.-TD-Yds.): UI - Jeff George 37-20-2-0-194; UF - Kyle Morris 12-6-2-0-50.

Receiving (No.-Yds.-TD): UI - Mike Bellamy 5-49-0; Steven Williams 5-49-0; UF - Terence Barber 4-29-0.